Timurids (1369 – 1506)

Timur soon tired of the petty rebellions in Seistan and returned to the grander contests of the north where fortune favored him. Word of his prowess spread and one by one the tribes rallied to his cause; in 1369, at Balkh, he proclaimed himself supreme sovereign from Kabul to the Aral Sea and turned to conquer an empire. The Karts resisted without success and their capital city of Herat was destroyed in 1381. Following this, Timur moved on to subdue his former master in Zaranj (1383). Here fighting was fierce and the august conqueror’s temper flared when his horse was shot from under him. From then on he showed no mercy and Zaranj was razed to the ground.

Today Kandaharis speak with pride of Seistan’s ancient prosperity: “Once there were so many fine buildings and palaces that one could easily walk from Bost to Zaranj on the rooftops without once touching the ground.” Medieval geographies speak of its remarkable prosperity, calling it the “garden of Asia” and the “granary of the East”. And yet today its various parts are known by such names as Dasht-i-Margo (Desert of Death), Dasht-i-Jehanum (Desert of Hell), and Sar-o-Tar (Desolation and Empti-ness, in Baluchi). The Sar-o-Tar is covered with constantly moving sand dunes rising to a height of 20 m; 66 ft. Experts have con-cluded that these may be the fastest moving sand dunes anywhere in the world: an average dune of 6 m; 20 ft. moves at an annually adjusted rate of 15 cm; 6 in. a day.

Two extensive studies have sought to determine how this came to be. A team from Bonn University carried out a multi-faceted study of medieval settlement patterns and ecological conditions from 1968-1973 (K. Fischer, director). The Smithsonian Institu-tion’s (USA) programme extended from 1971-76 (W. Trousdale, director). They have confirmed the ancient reports and dispelled the notion that Tamerlane’s visitation resulted in the present de-solation. On the contrary, the southern Hamun basin contains the greatest assemblage of 15th century A.D. architecture anywhere in the Middle East. More than this, the remains speak of a sophis-ticated culture, of affluence permitting a rich variety of architec-tural forms and ornamentation, of stately manor houses contain-ing sometimes more than sixty rooms fashioned from sun-dried and kiln-baked bricks.

The largest complex of ruins, known today as Shahr-i-Ghol-ghola, sits in the Sar-o-Tar region. It consists of a citadel within a circular wall 15 m; 49 ft. high protected by massive outer fortifications and three moats. Water for its inhabitants, the moats, and an agricultural zone 16-19 kin; 10-12 mi. wide, flowed through huge canals running from behind a barrage on the Hilmand River 80 kin; 50 mi. away.

Copper coins minted by the last two Saffarid kings before the Mongol invasion were also recovered. Going back beyond the 9th century, however, there seems to be a great void, with no indication of habitation until the end of the 3rd century A.D. Again, from the 3rd century A.D. to the 1st century B.C. signs of occupation such as Sasanian coins and potteries stamped with the seals of Sasanian princes are present. Beyond that, another long period of abandoment is evident until the 2nd millennium B.C. when a grandiose system for the distribution of water covering thousands of square miles with canals speaks of technological sophistication and prosperity. Fine painted potteries from this period confirm this.

In a temple abandoned at the end of the 2nd century A.D. plastered walls were found in a remarkably well-preserved state because the building was completely filled with sand; perhaps it had actually been overwhelmed by sand. At any rate, the Seistan surveys have led archaeologists to conclude that “While it would be oversimplifying the case to ignore political and economic factors in accounting for the periodic prosperity of this region, followed by periods of desolation and emptiness lasting from 600 to perhaps 1,000 or more years, the cyclical nature of uncontrollable sanding appears to have played a major, if not the decisive, role.” (Trous-dale, 1975)

Genghis Khan abhorred cities and cultivated fields for he said they robbed him of grazing lands for his mounted army which he likened to a “roaring ocean”. Timur, on the other hand, often rebuilt what he had once, or twice, destroyed. Herat is an example; Balkh another. From these cities the glory of the Timurids was to shine.

The familiar series of rival family claims erupted on Timur’s death in 1405. One of the major contestants was his grandson, Pir Mohammad, who held Kandahar, seat of government in the south after the destruction of Zaranj. Setting out with a large army, Pir Mohammad marched toward Samarkand, Timur’s capital, sending ahead a letter outlining his reasons for believing the throne was rightfully his. The reply, written by the court’s leading statesman, is perhaps one of the more candid dispatches ever penned by a diplomat: “Certainly you are the lawful heir and successor of Amir Timur, but fortune does not favour you, for if it did, you would be near the capital.”

Exactly. By the time Pir Mohammad arrived in Samarkand his rival was well established and “the sea of destruction flowed over his head.”

Several years, many exiles and numerous murders later, Shah Rukh (Timur’s youngest son) and his remarkable wife, Gawhar Shad, emerged as undisputed masters of an empire stretching from the Tigris River to the borders of China. From their capital at Herat they led a cultural renaissance by their lavish patronage of the arts, attracting to their court artists, architects and philoso-phers and poets acknowledged today among the world’s most il-lustrious: Bihzad the miniaturist and Jami the poet are only two. Many exquisite examples of Timurid architecture remain in Herat today. Though ravaged by man and nature, they remain as glori-ous monuments to the artistic genius of their creators and an inspiration to all who view them.

Fratricidal quarrels resumed on Shah Rukh’s death in 1447 and intensified after Gawhar Shad was murdered in 1457. She was well past the age of 80! Herat itself experienced its Golden Age under Sultan Husain Baiqara (1468-1506) but the nobles of his court, too intent upon their precious pursuit of luxury, could not be bothered with the drab responsibilities of government. Ambi-tious local leaders, some from within the Timurid family, some from without, seized the opportunity thus offered them and the age-old games for power began anew. As the Turkoman proverb so aptly states: “The sand of the desert is lightly blown away by a breath; still more lightly is the fortune of man destroyed.”